Washington Soccer Club Champions Pakistani-Made Soccer Balls
By Elaine Pasquini

Washington: Soccer, considered the most popular sport in the world, has an estimated four billion fans globally. Although cricket remains the top competitive game in Pakistan, the country is proud to be producing 70 percent of the world’s soccer balls in the small town of Sialkot located in the northeastern part of the country.

“We are incredibly happy with the quality of the soccer balls that are made in Pakistan,” Grey Andrulis, executive director of the DC Soccer Club, said during his May 29, 2024, meeting with Ambassador Masood Khan at the Embassy of Pakistan. “In addition to just the quality of the ball, the branding that is put on it is identifiable.” 

Praising the quality and value of the made-in-Pakistan balls, Andrulis related that they are popular in the Washington, DC area and are seen being kicked around in all of the soccer parks in the area. In addition, “We get great prices and great quality balls and even delivery is always on time,” he added.

Andrulis noted that even balls four to five years old, which may have scuffs and scratches, are still good because they maintain their strength and reliability. “I can tell you that we have returns on uniforms, but nobody ever brings back a Pak-made soccer ball,” he said. Annually, the club procures around 2,500 of the popular balls.

Zainab Schwartz, chairperson of the Board of Directors of the DC Soccer Club, who also attended the meeting with the ambassador, expressed her pride that “… my country, Pakistan, is represented in kids’ lives on a daily basis.” 

The DC Soccer Club is the largest youth soccer club in the tristate DMV area, comprising the capital city of Washington, DC, and the surrounding portions of Maryland and Virginia. Founded in 1977 as DC Stoddert Soccer, presently the club has a membership of over 7,500 children.

Thanking the management of DC Soccer Club for their compliments and trust in the soccer balls his country produces, Ambassador Khan noted: “Our sports goods connect people. Our signature products are promoting human well-being, healthy minds, and healthy societies. We are proud of the quality of our exports and are focused on making our products even more competitive to secure greater market share.”

The ambassador also welcomed suggestions made by Schwartz to hold the Embassy Cup youth tournament in 2025 as a precursor to the 2026 FIFA World Cup which will be jointly hosted by 16 cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The final of the competition will be held at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 19, 2026.

(Elaine Pasquini is a freelance journalist. Her reports appear in the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs and Nuze.Ink.)